"Woody Woodpecker" Heading for Big Screen

Receive the latest popcornbiz updates in your inbox

One of cartoon-dom's most grating characters of all time has himself a Hollywood movie deal.

Illumination Entertainment, the animation wing of (our corporate cousins at) Universal, is developing a feature film starring Woody Woodpecker, the red-headed bird with a lucgh that makes even children cover their ears, reported Heat Vision. "Blades of Glory" scribes John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky are working on a script.

Woody's actually been in the movies before, making frequent appearances in shorts back in the '40s. He unveiled a theme song in 1947 that earning an Oscar nomination. And it is a great little ditty until that staccato laugh iof his kicks in:

Just think how excited parents are gonna be when their kids start asking Santa for the Woody Woodpecker doll that laughs when you pinch his foot? It's gonna make Tickle Me Elmo feel like a day at the spa.